In many athletic fields, the clothing worn by an athlete will become damp with body perspiration. Examples are hockey sweaters, gloves, pads etc. It is important that these items be dried promptly after use. Failure to dry the clothing promptly will result in the formation of mildew.
Such clothing is usually transported in some sort of bag. It is known to provide an athletic bag, such as a hockey bag, with a mobile support in the form of a dolly having a frame and a pair of wheels: see U.S. Pat. No. 6,095,385 to Utu et al. issued Aug. 1, 2000. It is also known to provide drying supports in association with an athletic bag. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,277 to Vienneau, issued May 25, 1999, aspires to provide a collapsible sports storage gear bag having a gear rack containable within the gear bag, and having support means extending there from, to provide a plurality of spaced-apart gear hanging mounting means for drying athletic clothing.
Other examples of athletic garment drying arrangements are depicted in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,134,806, 6,386,414 and 6,780,101. Canadian Patent 2,259,871 depicts a wall-mounted drying rack that opens outwardly when mounted on a balcony. This reference is provided with “arms” that support the rack in a desired position.
Clothing drying racks or clothes stands generally are known, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 445,633 to Becker, 2,084,854 to McCarthy and U.S. Pat. No. 3,310,180 to Neagle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,766 discloses an A-Frame that allows clothes to be hung on both sides. U.S. Pat. No. 4,297,795 discloses a foldable rack which provides a lower hinge for support bars. However, there is still a need for a clothes drying rack that is integrated into a carrier for a container suited to carry clothing, and particularly clothing and athletic equipment. The present invention addresses this need.
The invention in its general form will first be described, and then its implementation in terms of specific embodiments will be detailed with reference to the drawings following hereafter. These embodiments are intended to demonstrate the principle of the invention, and the manner of its implementation. The invention in its broadest and more specific forms will then be further described, and defined, in each of the individual claims which conclude this Specification.